If you have decided to take your investigation of laser surgery further, the next step is booking in for your initial laser consultation.  You can do this by contacting us by completing the appointment form or over the phone at (561) 848-4773.

Consultation

The consultation takes place at our office in West Palm Beach and will take approximately one hour.  During this hour you will be provided with an explanation of laser vision correction, its benefits, alternatives and possible consequences.  You will also undergo a comprehensive ophthalmic examination.

The examination combines computerized vision testing and sophisticated corneal mapping technology to determine your ocular status and suitability for laser vision correction.  As part of the examination you will receive dilating drops to allow the surgeon to fully examine the health of the eye.  These drops will make you light sensitive and may make driving and close work difficult for an hour or two after the examination.

It is extremely important that contact lenses are left out of the eye for an appropriate length of time before both the consultation and surgery.  This is because contact lenses sit on the cornea and may change the contour of the cornea, therefore affecting the accuracy of our measurements.  Soft contact lenses must be left out for a minimum of 3 days before the consultation, hard or gas permeable lenses should be left out for a minimum of 3 weeks.

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Surgery

If you are suitable and decide to go ahead with surgery, the surgery will take place at the SurgiLight center in Pembroke Pines.  Although the procedure will only take approximately 15 minutes per eye, you will need to be at the center for around 90 minutes.

You will be asked to arrive 30 minutes before your surgery is scheduled so we can place the necessary drops into your eyes in preparation for surgery.  The LASIK procedure itself is performed with local anesthetic eye drops.  This means that you will not experience any discomfort.  After surgery you will need to wait a further 20 minutes so the doctor can be satisfied the flap is well positioned and secure before returning home.

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Following Laser Vision Correction

After the doctor has done a final check of your eyes, a clear shield is placed over the operated eye.  This will remain on until the next day.  Further post-operative instructions are given. After surgery you must not drive home yourself.  If you are not accompanied by a friend or family member a taxi can be called.

Your eyes can water and feel gritty throughout the day and night following surgery this is a normal response.  In this time we suggest that you do activities with which your vision feels comfortable, such as listening to music/radio or sleeping.  Pain is rare following LASIK surgery.

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The Day After your Surgery:

You may remove your shields the morning following surgery, but you must not rub or wash your eyes.  Your vision may be blurred and the eye may be a little red and light sensitive, again this is normal and is nothing to be concerned about.

Each patient is required to see the surgeon the day after the procedure.  At this visit the operated eye(s) will be checked, both the vision and ocular status will be reviewed.  You will begin using the anti-inflammatory and antibiotic drops given to you, as instructed, after this visit for the next four days.

It is possible for the eyes to remain sensitive to light for a few days following surgery.   Similarly a gritty irritated feeling may also persist, possibly continuing in one eye longer than the other.  The use of artificial tears (wetting drops) usually solves this slight inconvenient feeling.

As the eyes heal, your vision does fluctuate.  This will occur over the first 3-4 weeks.  You should however always maintain a reasonable level of vision.

Follow up visits occur at one week, one month, three months and six months.  These visits are included in the surgical fee.  

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Restrictions

To ensure the safety of both yourself and your eyes post-operatively we ask you to follow these simple guidelines.

1. No swimming for one week (ocean or pool).
2. No eye makeup for one week.
3. Take extra care when bathing and washing your hair to avoid getting soap or shampoo in your eye for one week.
4. Do not drive until your vision is adequate both day and night. This usually takes about two days.
5. Do not use any eye drops other than those prescribed by the surgeon.
6. No body contact sport for 4 weeks following surgery.
7. You must not rub the eye vigorously for one month following the procedure.

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